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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/22401370">Bird</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/SekseeDragoness/pseuds/PhoenixDown'>PhoenixDown (SekseeDragoness)</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Sefikura Week 2020 [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VII</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Bird, BoBoChicobo, Don't copy to another site, Gen, M/M, Pre-Relationship, Sefikura Week 2020, Socially Awkward Cloud Strife, Socially Awkward Sephiroth</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-01-26</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-01-26</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-04-28 10:42:08</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,348</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/22401370</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/SekseeDragoness/pseuds/PhoenixDown</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Sefikura Week 2020 Day 2. Prompt is Bird.</p><p>Sephiroth knows he is lacking when it comes to social situations and knowledge about what is normal behavior, so when faced with developing feelings of affection for a stranger, he decides to take a head-on approach.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Angeal Hewley &amp; Genesis Rhapsodos, Sephiroth &amp; Cloud Strife</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Sefikura Week 2020 [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1612078</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>33</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>Sefikura (Sephiroth/Cloud) Week - Yearly Event</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Bird</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Sephiroth would be the first to admit that when it came to social situations, he was often left internally flailing in confusion over what people meant and why they did or said things.<br/>
Being raised by someone as socially and morally incompetent as Hojo and Shin-Ra in general, he was just glad to have come through his childhood without sprouting horns or wings... although, wings would have been pretty useful and a small part of himself would have found it kinda cool.<br/>
But this knowledge of his short-comings was in no way helpful when he was faced with the current situation he had found himself in, or the series of events which had led him up to being there in the first place, for that matter.</p><p>It had all started a week ago.<br/>
He had been helping his friend out by searching for his young protege, Zack. Knowing how social and willing he was to help the cadets in the army out, the General had decided to start by looking at the training yards.</p><p>There were plenty of people there training in their downtime, but after a brief glance around at the few SOLDIERs who were there, he didn't spot the spikey-haired SOLDIER. He turned around, ready to look elsewhere when, from behind a set of bleachers, the young SOLDIER came bolting out, followed closely by a blonde, who's hair rivaled the spikiness of his friend's student.<br/>
As soon as the brunette spotted the General he headed straight for him yelling "SEPH! SAVE ME FROM THE RABID CHOCOBO-HEAD!!!" He then attempted to jump up onto the man's back.<br/>
Sephiroth had simply stepped away before his hand shot out to grab the 'Pup' as Angeal often referred to him, by the scruff of his uniform, to hold him at arm's length.<br/>
Zack had wriggled and whined, trying to get out of his grip and hide behind him, to no avail, as the blond ran straight up to him and planted a solid kick to one of the man's shins.</p><p>It was apparent that the blond had then realized exactly who was holding his friend, as he stiffened into a salute and started babbling "General Sephiroth, Sir, I assure you he deserved that kick. I'm very sorry-" He stopped as soon as the black-haired man burst out laughing. Instead, choosing to glare bloody murder at him.</p><p>Sephiroth raised an eyebrow at the man now hanging from his grip, apparently unable to hold himself up any longer due to laughing so hard.<br/>
He looked back to the blond and smirked "It's quite alright. Even if I wasn't absolutely certain that he deserved it, I would have let it slide today, simply by virtue of your good timing." Zack had started to complain when he continued to speak over him "Afterall, the reason I am here is due to a certain PUP not meeting his obligations right now"<br/>
He looked meaningfully at the young man and after a moment of confusion, the SOLDIER winced as he realized he was meant to be training with his Mentor at that moment.<br/>
The General let him slip out of his grip as the man started to run away, yelling over his shoulder "Shoot! I forgot. I gotta go! Sorry, Spike. I'll catch up with you tomorrow if Ange doesn't torture me too much"<br/>
The blond rolled his eyes, but Sephiroth hadn't missed the fond smile that flashed across his face before he headed after the other SOLDIER.</p><p>It was that small smile which had started it all.<br/>
Sephiroth had found himself thinking about the blond quite often and he wasn't sure why. He would be in the middle of filling out reports or signing orders and suddenly that little smile would pop into his head.<br/>
It was extremely confusing and quite distracting.<br/>
He had even asked his red-headed friend what it meant when you kept thinking about someone, even when they were essentially a stranger.<br/>
The man had squealed gleefully before dragging him to Angeal's office to inform him that their 'Little Sephy' was growing up and that he had a crush.<br/>
He had barely managed to escape without developing a permanent twitch in his right eye as the man had jokingly attempted to give him a 'birds and the bees' talk</p><p>He decided to do some research of his own by first looking up what it meant to 'have a crush'.<br/>
He then spent the rest of that night and the next day trying to decide if affection was what he was feeling towards the younger man, but eventually decided that that wasn't quite right.  There was an attraction, the man was pretty, but he didn't believe that he knew the man enough for there to be any affection involved.</p><p>He had then looked up the trooper's information after over-hearing Fair mention his name.<br/>
Cloud Strife.<br/>
Sephiroth found himself thinking it suited him. The bright blue eyes. The puff of blond hair like rays of sunshine breaking through. His clearly stormy temper when rubbed the wrong way if their first encounter was anything to go by.<br/>
And he was certainly causing Sephiroths mind some strife.</p><p>He sighed. Ok, so maybe there was something there.<br/>
He didn't understand how affection could develope towards someone he didn't know, so maybe the meaning of having a crush could just involve attraction.<br/>
Did that make it worth pursuing it to see if something more could become of it?</p><p>Over the next few days, he had decided to look in on the trooper's classes and see if he had just formed some sort of attraction due to Zack's obvious friendship with him. Maybe it was his subconscious wanting to form more bonds with people. To make more friends.<br/>
The more he watched the man interacting with his fellow troopers though, the more he found himself wanting to approach the man.</p><p>He seemed un-used to the interaction and awkward the majority of the time, but there was also a stubborn resolve in his eyes when he was clearly making himself join in with the group, instead of staying separate.<br/>
It seemed like the rest of the group was somewhat used to Strife keeping himself apart as well. There were always a few surprised looks among the group and a few jibes thrown the blond's way when he spoke up.<br/>
The blond would usually take a deep breath and then laugh it off. He was clearly trying to change himself. Make himself more social and learn to get along with everyone.</p><p>Sephiroth admired his determination. He decided that if a trooper can force himself to socially open up to a group of people, the least he could do, was try to learn from him by opening up to him.</p><p>That is until he found himself staring at the blond as he sat under a tree doing what he assumed was homework. That wasn't unusual. It was what he was wearing that was.<br/>
Sephiroth, knowing where he was lacking in knowledge, imagined there had to be some sort of reason behind it.<br/>
Perhaps it was just one of those times where he was unaware of some sort of tradition or event of some sort. (Like when he had been shocked by Halloween and all of the child-sized monsters running around the city. That had been one time he was glad that Angeal had been with him and was prepared for his reaction. He had warned him in advance about what they would be seeing on returning from their latest mission. He hated to think what might have happened otherwise).</p><p>He knew there was only one way to find out what was going on and that was to simply ask.<br/>
He was here to make the first move towards a possible friendship anyway, so what better way to start a conversation, than by asking the blonde something about himself!<br/>
He nods to himself and takes a deep breath as he walks casually over to the cute blond and asks "Excuse me, but, I'm just curious, why is there a Chicobo in your hair?"</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>OK! So, this one will have a follow-up chapter on Day 4 of Sefikura Week 2020.</p><p>At this stage, they could all be seen as time jumps within the same universe though. At least the first 5 days as I haven't started on Days 6 or 7 yet... *shrugs*</p><p>Also, HAPPY `STRAYA DAY!!!! XD</p></blockquote></div></div>
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